Fugitive Charges Dropped Against Woman Who Escaped From Prison In 1977

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DETROIT (WWJ/AP) – Fugitive charges were dropped against a 61-year-old woman who escaped from a Michigan prison in 1977 after authorities discovered she had surrendered decades ago and already been sentenced to time served.

Judge Michael Smyth ordered Friday that Judy Lynn Hayman be released immediately. Hayman was arrested Feb. 4 after Michigan authorities, who thought she was still wanted, discovered she was living in San Diego.

One of her lawyers, Andrew Hillier, says she’s glad to no longer be behind bars.

“She wants to take some time and be with her friends, be with her family and be with her children who she has not seen in some time,” said Hillier. “She wants to recover.”

Hayman escaped from an Ypsilanti prison after serving eight months of an 18-to-24-month sentence for stealing clothes from a Detroit store.